The Watsons Go To Birmingham
Passage Picker for Section One
Page 1 paragraph 1
First two words: It was
Last two words: below zero.
This passage is a descriptive type of passage because you can just image standing outside with Kenny and feeling how cold the weather is. You can image seeing your breath and feeling the cold air on your eyes just as he described.
Good thinking question:
Recall a time in your life when it has been this cold.
One year it was so cold the temperature was in the negatives. It was snowing and you could see your breath just like Kenny could see his.
Why did the author include this passage in the story?
The author included this passage so that readers could gain a better understanding of just how cold it is in Flint, Michigan. Its’ descriptiveness makes you feel like you are there in the cold weather shivering.
Page 3 paragraph 9
First two words: “Kids,” Dad
Last two words: the Hambonettes.
This passage is a funny/amusing type of passage because the father is making fun the bumps on a man’s head. The children think their father is hilarious and it adds humor to a not so funny situation. It acts as a tension reliever in a sad situation.
Good thinking question:
Describe the father’s personality.
He is a funny man that tries to bring smiles to his family’s faces. He cares a lot about his family and wished he could provide better for them.
What does this passage add to the story?
It shows how tense the family is because they are all cold. It adds humor to the scene and gets the family’s and the reader’s mind off how cold their family is.
Page 8 paragraph 4
First two words: How to
Last two words: watched TV.
This passage is a flashback type of passage because it is telling of an event that happened earlier. It tells of how Byron, Kenny’s older brother, tricked him into thinking he was going to learn about How to Survive a Blizzard.
Good thinking question:
Describe how you would feel if your brother tricked you, like Byron tricked Kenny.
I would feel embarrassed that I feel for such a silly trick. I would also feel mad that I had allowed him to treat me that way.
Why did the author include this passage in the story?
This passage gives the reader an idea of Byron’s personality. He is portrayed to the reader as a bully to his younger brother, Kenny.
Page 13 paragraph 3
First two words: I moved
Last two words: on flypaper.
This passage is a simile type of passage because it is comparing two unlike things using like or as. In the passage, the author is comparing Byron’s lips being stuck as the mirror as a fly on flypaper.
Good thinking question:
How would you have tried to get Byron unstuck from the mirror?
I probably would have tried pouring hot water too!
Why did the author include this passage in the story?
This passage adds humor and describes just how stuck Bryon was to the mirror.